What does the red horse in the book of Revelation symbolize?

Answer 1

5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Answer 2

It represents 'Famine' and Matthew 24:7 is Jesus' parallel of Revelation 6:

Revelation 6:5-6New King James Version (NKJV) Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart[a] of wheat for a denarius,[b] and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."Footnotes:

1. Revelation 6:6 Greek choinix; that is, approximately one quart
2. Revelation 6:6 This was approximately one day's wage for a worker.

Matthew 24:7New King James Version (NKJV)

7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,[a]and earthquakes in various places.Footnotes:

1. Matthew 24:7 NU-Text omits pestilences.

Answer 3

Rv:6:2: And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Rv:6:4: And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

The First Seal.--The first symbol is a white horse, bearing a rider who carries a bow. A crown is given to him, and he goes forth conquering and to conquer, a fit emblem of the triumphs of the gospel in the first century of the Christian Era. The whiteness of the horse denotes the purity of faith in that age. The crown which was given to the rider, and his going forth as a conqueror to make still further conquests, signify the zeal and success with which the truth was promulgated by its earliest ministers. By what symbols could the work of Christianity better be represented when it went forth as an aggressive principle against the huge systems of error with which it had at first to contend? The rider upon this horse went forth--where? His commission was unlimited. The gospel was to all the world.

The Second Seal.--Perhaps the first feature noticed in these symbols is the contrast in the color of the horses. This doubtless has special significance. It the whiteness of the first horse denoted the purity of the gospel in the period which that symbol covers, the redness of the second horse would signify that in this period that original purity began to be corrupted. The mystery of iniquity already worked in Paul's day, and the professed church of Christ was so far corrupted by this time as to require this change in the color of the symbol. Errors began to arise. Worldliness came in. The ecclesiastical power sought the alliance of the secular. Troubles and commotions were the result.----excerpt from Daniel and the Revelation by Uriah Smith

Answer

It was noted that one interpretation of the white horse and its rider was that they represented 'either the victory of the gospel or imperialism.' But the world has not been converted to the gospel (good news) about Christ and God's purposes surrounding him. And, surely, imperialism has not ridden forth in triumph. Rather, it has been breaking down, fragmenting, in this century.

What of the interpretation that the white horse represents the victory of the gospel and the purity of faith in the first century? This ignores the fact that the vision was of thingsto come in the future. And since John wrote the vision as a prisoner in exile on the island of Patmos in the year 96 of our Common Era, it could not possibly represent anything having to do with the first century.

Another explanation was that the white horse introduces the cause rather than the person of Christ and that his Kingdom 'is in the midst' of us, that is, in our hearts. But the cause of Jesus Christ and Christianity did not begin at some time future to the writing of Revelation. Rather, this cause was already in great evidence among first-century Christians before John wrote.

Also, when Jesus said that "the kingdom of God is in your midst," he was speaking to the hypocritical religious Pharisees in answer to a question they had raised. Jesus was not speaking to his faithful followers and telling them that the Kingdom was something 'in their midst' in the sense of being in their hearts. Instead, he was telling the disbelieving Pharisees that he, Jesus, as the representative of the future Kingdom of God, was present among them on that occasion.-Luke 17:21; see also The Jerusalem Bible and The NewEnglish Bible.

How about the thought that the rider on the white horse is the Antichrist? Nowhere does the Bible say that the Antichrist will make such inroads that it could be said of him that "he went forth conquering and to complete his conquest," as was said of the rider on the white horse. (Revelation 6:2) It is clear that whoever is seated on the white horse will ride forth completely conquering. His conquest will not fail. All his enemies will be destroyed.

Bible Clues Help Identification

Unmistakable identification of the rider on the white horse is given by the "Revealer of secrets" later in the same series of visions. At Revelation 19:11-16, a white horse is again seen, this time with clear identification of the rider.

The fact that a white horse is seen twice in these prophetic visions indicates that it is the same horse and that various duties or activities of the rider are being depicted. In the latter scene, the rider is named. He is called "Faithful and True," "The Word of God," and "King of kings and Lord of lords."

Those designations leave no doubt as to the identity of the rider on the white horse. It is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself! (Compare Revelation 17:14.) But at what time of his life? It has to be some time after the end of the first century, when the Revelation vision was given. Notice, too, that now a royal crown is given to him. So at some future time Jesus Christ was to begin a special role as King, or Ruler. And in that capacity, he is also depicted as a warrior armed with a bow, to ride forth "conquering and to complete his conquest."

Also showing that this had to be future is this fact: By the time of the apocalyptic vision, more than 60 years had passed since Jesus finished his earthly life, was resurrected from the dead, and had ascended to heaven. When he returned to heaven, Jesus was told to wait at the right hand of God until that future time when his enemies would be made "a stool for his feet."-Hebrews 10:12, 13.

The Ride Begins

So the ride on the white horse was to begin at some future time when Jesus Christ would be enthroned as the heavenly King of God's Kingdom. At that time God would send him forth with the command: "Go subduing in the midst of your enemies." (Psalm 110:2) But when does this take place?

The crowning of Jesus Christ as heavenly King is described at Psalm 45:3-7. Then in Hebrews 1:8, 9 the apostle Paul quotes from this psalm and applies verses 6 and 7 to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Detailed information and Scriptural proofs published by Jehovah's Witnesses show that the coronation of Jesus Christ in heaven took place at the close of the Gentile Times, "the appointed times of the nations," in the year 1914.-Luke 21:24.

Hence, any interpretation that puts the horsemen's ride earlier than the year 1914 could not be correct. Also, since the rider of the white horse was in the lead, the other horses and riders following would represent events that would take place along with, or some time after, his ride begins. The ride of these four horsemen, therefore, must occur from and after the beginning of "the time of the end" in 1914. It has been since then that "the last days" have been seen to be in evidence.-Daniel 12:4; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13.

The Other Horses andRiders

The second horse is "bright red," or "fiery-colored." (Revelation 6:3, 4, An American Translation) Its rider "was granted to take peace away from the earth so that they should slaughter one another." He was given "a great sword." This proved true when 1914 saw the beginning of the worst war in all human history, the first global war. Back then it was called the Great War. Just 21 years later World War II began, and it was even more devastating than World War I. Since then there have been constant wars. Altogether, since 1914, wars have taken some one hundred million lives.

The third horse is a black one, and its rider has a pair of scales in his hand. (Revelation 6:5, 6) A voice calls out that it would require an entire day's wage just to buy one quart (1.1 L) of wheat or three quarts of the cheaper grain barley. This fittingly describes food shortages on a scale greater than ever before. That has proved to be true since 1914. Right from the outbreak of World War I, food prices soared. Millions died from hunger. Since then, food shortages have continued without letup. It is estimated that now some 450 million people are hungry to the point of starvation, and up to one billion do not have enough to eat. From time to time the gloomy picture is emphasized by such famines and extreme loss of life as reported from Ethiopia in recent years.

As for the fourth horse, we notice that it is "pale," sickly looking. The rider's name is "Death." (Revelation 6:7, 8) It well symbolizes the vast number of deaths since 1914 by unnatural causes, such as food shortages and famines, wars and violence, plagues and diseases. The Spanish influenza that broke out worldwide at the close of World War I caused over 20 million deaths. Now Heart disease, cancer, and many other sicknesses take their toll of millions in untimely deaths.

The events symbolized by these horses and riders are also noted in a parallel prophecy Jesus gave about our time. He said that in "the conclusion of the system of things," where we now live, there would be global war as 'nation would rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.' He foretold "the increasing of lawlessness" and "in one place after another pestilences and food shortages."-Matthew 24:3-12; Luke 21:10, 11.

Was There a Fifth Horse?

Revelation 6:8 reads: "And I saw, and, look! a pale horse; and the one seated upon it had the name Death. And Hades was closely following him." On the basis of this, some have suggested that since the first four characters mentioned are riding horses, would not the fifth also be mounted on a horse?

The Bible does not say that. In the Greek text the word for "horse" does not appear at Revelation 6:8 in connection with Hades. Hence, most Bible translations do not include the word "horse" with reference to this fifth character. So it is sufficient to note that Hades, the common grave of mankind, was following the previous three horses and riders, gathering up all their victims.

How Does the Vision AffectYou?

To be living at the time when this vision of the ride of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse is having its dramatic fulfillment is certainly a thrilling experience. But it is also a time of great seriousness, calling for self-examination. Why is this so? Because every person on earth is affected by this symbolic ride. Yes, you and your loved ones are all involved. How?

Answer 4

In the book of Revelations, the black horse is generally understood to represent famine. In later years, and in different contexts, a black horse has also been known to symbolize suffering and death.